Town of Andover Receives Intergenerational Collaborative Grant for Youth and Seniors

ANDOVER – Town Manager Andrew P. Flanagan is pleased to announce that the Town of Andover has received a $17,940 grant from the Andover Home for Aged People to establish new programs aimed at connecting youth and seniors in Andover through various activities.

“We are extremely grateful to the Andover Home for Aged People for their willingness to support the Department of Community Services,” Town Manager Flanagan said. “We look forward to forming collaborative programs that benefit residents of all ages in Andover.”

The grant, spearheaded by Department of Community Services Divisions Director Joseph Connelly, Elder Services Director Annmarie Connor, and Youth Services Director Bill Fahey, will allow the department to provide additional services and enhance existing ones to the youth and senior citizens of Andover in an effort to forge community bonds between the two groups.

The following list of programs that Andover will implement with this grant are held both on-site at the Cormier Youth Center and off-site at various locations:

• Co-aged exercise classes

• Co-aged walking program

• Group activities

• “Brown Bag” food distribution program

• Home safety initiatives

• Outdoor adventures

“These new initiatives have been carefully designed to appeal to all ages and personalities, with an emphasis on physical fitness, overall health and wellness.” Director Connelly said. “I encourage all members of our youth and senior centers to take advantage of these programs once they launch.”

Programs starting up in November include:

WALK THE GYM: THE CORMIER YOUTH CENTER
Beginning Nov. 1 and running through Dec. 22., every Tuesday and Thursday from 9 to 10:30 a.m., the gym will be open for seniors to exercise.

BROWN BAG
This program, which provides groceries for low income seniors, is free to those 60 and over with incomes of $21,978 (single) or $29,637 (couple), or on Mass Health, chap 115, food stamps, fuel assistance. Beginning Tuesday, Nov. 22, seniors can pick up a grocery bag in front of the Cormier Youth Center between the hours of 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. The program is made possible with assistance from the Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley, Boston Food Bank, and Center at Punchard. Contact Annmary Connor or Kristine Havemeyer at 978-623-8321 to sign up or see if you are eligible.

Sheriff Frank Cousins presented a thank you plaque to Kathy Hinds, Massachusetts President of Vest-a-Dog, for the organization’s continued support over the years. Left to right: Sgt. Stephen Pomerleau and K-9 Dakota, Sheriff Cousins, Kathy Hinds, Lt. John Pickles and K-9 Ivan, Michele Perrine, Massachusetts Vest-a-Dog board member and lead volunteer, and Sgt. John Zaccari and K-9 Tyson. (Courtesy Photo)

MIDDLETON — Essex County Sheriff Frank G. Cousins Jr. is pleased to announce that he presented a thank you plaque to Massachusetts Vest-a-Dog for their continued support over the last four years.

On Oct. 7, Sheriff Cousins gave the plaque to to Kathy Hinds, President of Massachusetts Vest-a-Dog, during a small ceremony at the Sheriff’s Department. There, he thanked Hinds and the organization for assisting the Sheriff’s Department with their K-9 program throughout his term in office.

The Essex County Sheriff’s Department has received seven grants since 2012, totaling $14,608, from Massachusetts Vest-a-Dog, a nonprofit organization that supports police dogs by providing funding for departments to obtain dogs, training and equipment.

Utilizing the grant funding, the Sheriff’s Department has purchased three German Shepherds, two bite suits, three bite sleeves, tactical training equipment, two sets of dutch boxes used for narcotics detection training, and a variety of supplies, like muzzles, harnesses, collars and scratch pants.

Since 2000, the department has also received 42 ballistic vests (worth more than $40,000), as well as 17 K-9 first aid kits ($3,400).

Combined with the seven grant awards, the Essex County Sheriff’s Department has received more than $57,000 for its K-9 program.

“Massachusetts Vest-a-Dog has been an asset to this department throughout my term in office. I am extremely grateful to Kathy Hinds and the entire organization,” Sheriff Cousins said. “The grant funding has allowed us to ensure our K-9 units receive the most up-to-date training and resources to protect the residents of Essex County.”

Chelmsford Police Awarded Grant for New K-9 Cruiser Kennel

K-9 Flaco in his new cruiser kennel. (Courtesy Photo)

CHELMSFORD – Chief James M. Spinney is pleased to announce that the Chelmsford Police Department has received a grant for $3,894 in order to outfit the department’s K-9 cruiser with new transportation and safety measures to best protect the health and well-being of K-9 Flaco.

The grant, awarded by Massachusetts Vest-a-Dog, will be used to purchase a new cruiser kennel and over-heat detector. The cruiser kennel will replace the entire backseat of the cruiser operated by Officer Dave Leo — K-9 Flaco’s handler — while the over-heat detector monitors the interior temperature of the car.

Should the temperature in the vehicle rise above 87 degrees, the system will automatically drop windows on either side of the kennel, turn on the window fan to circulate outside air, implement a unique horn pattern and alert Officer Leo via a pager on his duty belt.

The detector also includes a remote control door popper, which allows Officer Leo to deploy K-9 Flaco from outside the cruiser.

In addition to the Chelmsford Police Department, Officer Leo and K-9 Flaco also serve on the Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council and two county sheriff’s departments.

“K-9 Flaco, as a member of our department, has unique needs different that those of his human handler,” Chief Spinney said. “We are proud to outfit Officer Leo’s cruiser in a way that best serves Flaco, because that, in turn, best serves the needs of our department, our community and the NEMLEC team.”

Essex County Sheriff’s Department Receives $750,000 Grant for Implementation of Second Chance Act Program

MIDDLETON — Essex County Sheriff Frank G. Cousins Jr. is pleased to announce that the Essex County Sheriff’s Department has received a three-year, $750,000 grant from the Department of Justice to lower criminal recidivism by providing work-based training and employment to incarcerated adults after their release.

The grant is authorized through the Second Chance Act of 2007, which provides a comprehensive response to the increasing number of people who are released from prison and jail and are returning to their communities by addressing the steps needed to be taken for offenders to achieve a successful reintegration.

Each year, for three years, the Essex County Sheriff’s Department will use its $250,000 allocation to provide technology-based career training to 220 inmates in their facilities during the six to 36 month period before release. Additionally, the department will work with local employers to secure placement for program participants following their release.

“We are very pleased to receive this grant award. Our goal is to ensure that the people who come through our facilities receive the training they need to earn good, technology-based jobs once they reenter the community,” Sheriff Cousins said. “Reducing recidivism has always been a priority for me as Essex County Sheriff, and I believe that this grant will help us achieve this and vastly improve outlooks for people who enter the criminal justice system.”

ABOUT THE SECOND CHANCE ACTThe Second Chance Act of 2007 (SCA) was enacted to break the cycle of criminal recidivism, improve public safety and help state, local, and tribal government agencies and community organizations respond to the rising populations of formerly incarcerated people who return to their communities. Since the first SCA appropriation in fiscal 2009, more than $475 million has been authorized for grants, training and technical assistance to state, local, and tribal government agencies, along with community organizations to provide services that help people returning from prison and jail to safely and successfully reintegrate into the community. SCA programming provides support to eligible applicants for the development and implementation of comprehensive and collaborative reentry strategies specifically designed to increase public safety by reducing recidivism.